Santa Clara County Crime & Justice Digest

The number of reported hate crimes increased 22 percent in California in 2021. Following a model from Los Angeles County, state leaders launched a statewide hotline and resources.

The first-in-the-nation measure to add caste to state anti-discrimination laws, which passed the state Senate, survives the Assembly judiciary committee. The bill’s author refused to water down the measure further.

The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors wants to know why sheriff’s deputies used tear gas and pepper spray on inmates who refused to leave their cells, going against warnings from the CDC about chemicals in confined spaces.

The ACLU Foundation of Northern California launched the California Immigration Detention Database, a tool to track complaints filed by immigrants in California detention facilities to seek redress against inhumane conditions.

At its June 27 meeting, the Santa Clara City Council will consider raising the elected police chief’s salary by 10% to $313,692. The raise is based on a recommendation made by the salary-setting commission.

The new California vs Hate network allows victims and witnesses of hate incidents to report anonymously and receive services. It is a “response to the rise in reports of hate incidents and crimes,” said Kevin Kish, director of the California Civil Rights Department.

In affluent Saratoga, crime rates sit well below the regional average, yet residential burglaries have been a top concern. A group of residents in the Saratoga Woods neighborhood invested in license plate reader cameras to deter criminals from entering their neighborhood.

The Silicon Valley Pain Index is produced by the San Jose State University Human Rights Institute. The annual study focuses on racial discrimination and wealth inequality.

Palo Alto's independent police auditor is pushing the Police Department to better document its process for teaching officers about use of force, particularly when it comes to incidents that involve officers pointing firearms.

Palo Alto police are looking for the public's help in solving the murder of Maria Hsiao, 21, who was fatally shot outside a downtown nightclub on June 10—22 years ago.

Californians accused of crimes spend an average of five days waiting to see a lawyer. Shortening that time can help them keep their jobs, and spend less time in jail.

Mountain View announced June 7 that the city's next police chief will be Capt. Mike Canfield, who has served with the Mountain View Police Department for more than two decades.

Shivaun Nurre, who has been in the auditor role since 2018, has worked in the auditor’s office since 2006. Word that she plans to retire comes about a week after she published her annual report on police oversight in the city.

In May, a video featured a young woman named Brooklyn imploring viewers to tell the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation about the importance of EarnIn, part of a relatively new app-based industry that provides cash advances to people based on their wages.

Manuel Huizar, a Safeway employee, was fatally shot by shoplifters last year. In April, Home Depot employee Blake Mohs was shot and killed while attempting to stop a robbery in Pleasanton.

California is considering banning the use of “reverse search warrants,” which compel tech companies to disclose the identities of individuals based on the location of their phone and internet search history. Abortion activists call it vital.

The deadline for bills to pass their first house in the California Legislature has come and gone. Most made it. A few failed. And a handful of intriguing bills that didn’t pass may resurface because their authors aren’t giving up.

San Jose officials are looking to make amends following what state officials have called a racist handling of the city's annual Cinco de Mayo festivities. But some residents say it's not that simple.

Palo Alto’s independent police auditor is urging the Police Department to enforce its rules against sharing work-related documents on personal cell phones after two employees exchanged case information while one was in a dispute with a supervisor.

The San Jose Police Department has not hired a senior analyst to advance its racial equity goals, despite holding the position open for nearly five months.

In light of multimillion-dollar settlements over the mistreatment of inmates, Santa Clara County Supervisors voted to require the county counsel to publicly report when the county settles lawsuits for $1 million or more.

In 2020, a fallen tree in Shasta County landed on PG&E energy conductors, which caused a fire that burned 56,338 acres and killed four people. On May 18, a $150 million settlement was approved by the California Public Utilities Commission regarding PG&E's involvement in the Zogg Fire.

Newsom is closing and downsizing prisons across the state, putting the future of over a thousand incarcerated students at risk. College administrators say they have few resources to help.

California may be a Democratic stronghold, but it has also become a hotbed of right-wing, white supremacist and antisemitic activity, according to a new report from the Anti-Defamation League. The ADL report found more incidents and collaboration between groups.

San Jose is planning on funding 31 new positions despite struggling to fill more than 100 vacancies. The city manager proposed spending $2.9 million on new positions within the department, ranging from beat cops and community service to investigative positions.

Individuals coming out of jail have few resources to help them integrate back into society. Santa Clara County officials want to help change that. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors recently approved a potential guaranteed basic income program for the formerly incarcerated.

Facebook users who had accounts between May 2007 and December 2022 can apply for their share of a $725 million class-action settlement.

Santa Clara Councilmember Anthony Becker pleaded not guilty to charges that he leaked a confidential civil grand jury report to the San Francisco 49ers organization and lied about his actions. Becker was indicted by the DA’s office last month and faces a felony perjury charge.

In the first ruling on a California gun law since the U.S. Supreme Court reduced the government’s authority to regulate firearms, the Third District Court of Appeal in Sacramento upheld a ban on AR-15-style rifles, stating the weapons are “not typically possessed by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes.”

A California bill would hold social media companies legally responsible for addicting kids to their platforms. Tech lobbyists, digital rights advocates, and others say the proposal would run afoul of federal law and the U.S. Constitution.

Convicted Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes has made a last-ditch effort to avoid surrendering to federal prison authorities.

Los Altos City Council has approved a request from new police Chief Angela Averiett to buy 48 flashbang grenades, 25 smoke grenades, five semi-automatic rifles and two sniper rifles—despite pushback from residents who said that Los Altos is generally peaceful.